


as you wish

by zunshtral



Category: Defense of the Ancients | Dota, Dota 2
Genre: M/M, POV Second Person, armageddon does a little dance, lower case for the aesthetic, nessaj is fucking gay, no one even reads dota fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:49:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7255027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zunshtral/pseuds/zunshtral
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“there is a stacked camp. i believe you are capable of handling it now. i will… watch the lane.”</p><p>“as you wish, lord avernus.”</p><p>he gives you a nod, and when your thoughts once again regain form, ravenstrider has brought you back to the lane. silently, you curse yourself. no more letting the knight distract you.</p><p>naturally, because some unseen entity wishes to make your life difficult today, the knight continues to distract you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	as you wish

“lord avernus.”

ravenstrider shuffles his hooves on the rock beneath you, huffing quietly as someone joins you. the red glow and additional snorting beast give away your new companion, but you keep your eyes forward. the reputation of the chaos knight precedes him. you can see him test the weight of his axe, turning the weapon in his hand. his mount gives another grunt that ravenstrider echoes back.

“i will be heading to top lane; from my understanding of your skills, i thought i would extend the invitation for you to join me.”

behind the safety of your helmet and mist, he cannot see your eyes flick towards him and then out to the dark woods. no one had vocalized their needs for assistance, so you are indeed free to support the knight. the announcer gives the call off one minute, and you give the taller man a wordless nod.

the knight’s horse gives a snort, and with that he starts towards the lane. you frown at his back for a moment, then dig your heels into ravenstrider’s side and follow after him. best to get there before the creeps.

-

while you didn’t necessarily doubt him, the skill and precision chaos knight has in lane is surprising. he times himself, only swooping in close to get the last hit on enemy creeps before retreating back to safety. you keep an eye on the opponent heroes as well, but they seem to be keeping their distance from the towering knight well enough. a few stray shots or swipes find the legs of his mount, but the knight returns the brutal hits with no hesitation.

you keep busy enough with stacking camps and pulling creeps, carefully dancing ravenstrider around the incoming waves so the knight can farm in safety. he thanks you each time, either with simple nods or strangely sincere words. 

you try not to think about it too much. while even a chaotic one, you suppose he is still a knight.

eventually, as you both suspected, the ganks come. an archer with frosted arrows finds you in the middle of stacking, and before you can even call the mist to attack her, there’s an ungodly ripping sound through the air. the chaos knight has come through the trees, tearing the woman from her spot where he now hacks into her, brutal but efficient. the entire ordeal is over before it even started, and all you can do is blink at where the once stood.

“lord avernus. are you injured? i apologize for not coming sooner. there is a salve if you need it.” the knight has pulled his horse up next to yours, his free hand half-extended to you. you suddenly remember the beast is named armageddon. 

it takes a moment, but you gather your thoughts and simply shake your head. ravenstrider could shake off the arrow wounds, and time would heal the few that caught you in the leg. you clear your throat, nodding your head towards the camp on the other side of the trees.

“there is a stacked camp. i believe you are capable of handling it now. i will… watch the lane.”

“as you wish, lord avernus.”

he gives you a nod, and when your thoughts once again regain form, ravenstrider has brought you back to the lane. silently, you curse yourself. no more letting the knight distract you.

-

naturally, because some unseen entity wishes to make your life difficult today, the knight continues to distract you.

you’ve both managed to push the lane towards the river, and the chaos knight has managed to stop every gank coming you way so far. occasionally an enemy will run up the river, but he simply cuts through the air towards them and has them down in a few swings of his axe. an orange haired ranger came close once, seeming to scout out the situation before running away in a blur.

he continues to offer assistance whenever needed, tangos and salves at the ready when stray arrows or sword slashes seem to cut particularly deep. his tone is never demeaning, and seems to offer things without hesitation, despite the fact he is usually the one with lower health. his genuine concern is confusing above everything else, and ravenstrider snorts at you when you stay in one spot for too long.

“lord avernus?”

now, the knight’s own voice brings you out of a momentary daze. you manage to not jump or flinch, but your head does swing around to look up at him, momentarily frazzled.

“we should get back. the tower is almost fallen. i believe there will be reinforcements soon.”

armageddon’s flank comes close to ravenstrider’s, and the knight looks as if he is about to reach out and touch your arm. the thought makes your skin feel itchy, and the mist coils tightly around your face. you look away quickly, tightening your grip on the reins.

“be gone back to the tower, then. i am… going to get the rune. do not come with me.”

you don’t wait for his response, already wheeling ravenstrider around toward the river. a few moments of solitude would be enough to get your head on straight. however, despite your quick retreat, you still hear that damn phrase he’s been giving all night.

“as you wish.”

-

the night quickly turns to morning by the time you get to the rune spot. ravenstrider circles in the water, and you’re thankful for the distraction. the agitated snorts draw your attention to the other side of the river, but the light of the sun doesn’t give you enough vision to make out if there is anyone there. 

you’re about to leave, better safe than sorry, when a hook flies out of the darkness and catches you around the waist. terror leaps into your throat as ravenstrider gives a scream of protest and you’re dragged onto land. a putrid smell fills your nostrils, and the disgusting man who hooked you gives a wild laugh.

his cleaver and hook start tearing into you with no real rhythm, just aiming to hack you apart. the mist curls around you, erratic and desperate, but you steel yourself and wait for just a moment to react.

the man stops his assault and laughs, rearing back his hook for a final swipe, but you take the moment and let the mist spring to life, coiling around your body and glowing bright blue. confusion crosses over the enemy’s face, and ravenstrider rears onto his back legs as life begins to flood back into both of you. the curse takes over him with the first swing of your sword, and soon he’s too sluggish to respond, only beginning to turn away in hopes of retreat when the final blow sends him to the ground. 

the glow of the mist fades and calms, coiling back around your body and wrapping around your helmet. the kill marks your first of the match, but it fills you with a sense of achievement. ravenstrider stomps where the man’s body fades into the ground, and you flick the gore from your blade.

“death and i, we have an understanding.”

you turn, about to return to retrieving the rune, when you notice chaos knight standing in the river. his gaze is focused on you, and what surprises you most is that his helmet is off, sitting on his lap. for a moment, both of you just stare at each other. his face is caught halfway between worry and something akin to pride. without words he nudges armageddon up the short staircase, coming to stop beside you. this time, his hand reaches out and touches your forearm.

“i apologize, lord avernus. i should have been here to protect you.”

what baffles you further is that he  _ smiles _ , a lopsided pull of his lips that shows a hint of teeth, while his eyebrows raise. his head tilts to you, and all you can find yourself thinking of is reaching up to fix his helmet hair.

“obviously you can handle yourself, though. the butcher is a fearsome enemy; even i was hoping not to come across him during the battle. perhaps next time he’ll think twice about preying upon you.”

your mind does not seem to want to cooperate with your mouth, so you simply nod and watch as he fits his helmet back over his head, clutching his axe again and maneuvering armageddon around to escort you from the enemy side of the river. armageddon dips one knee, and chaos knight follows with a half bow.

“after you, lord avernus.”

-

such is the pace of the match. things begin to pick up. you both see enemy heroes more often, and a quick scout reveals that the rest of your team has been successful at pushing their lanes and taking towers. a small man with a dragon carved gun flies past on the back of a strange contraption, laughing as he shoots at creeps and sends shrapnel dancing, whooping at the loud guns of the flying machine. 

both of the archer women had made attempts on the chaos knight, trying to focus on bursting him down before moving on to you. for the most part, the knight seems strong enough to deal with them, soaking up the damage while you send mist to curl at their feet. once you had watched the man split into five with a hellish shriek, the illusions chasing after the redheaded one before both she and the drow fled.

occasionally you see a hook fly out of the woods, but both of you can easily maneuver out of the way and keep a safe distance from it. you try to focus on keeping the creeps pushed towards the second tier tower, retreating when tactically necessary and grouping together with the rest of your teammates for larger fights.

the both of you are headed through the woods to the secret shop when you notice the chaos knight’s free hand clutching his side. upon further inspection you notice armageddon is tense, pawing at the ground and shuffling while the knight exchanges short words and money for his new item. it brings a frown to your face, and while he packs away the item and turns to leave, you knee ravenstrider to block the path between the trees. he tilts his head, no doubt about to open his mouth to see if  _ you _ are alright, but you cut him off before.

“chaos knight.”

the harshness of your voice makes you wince for a moment, but you ignore it in favor of nudging your horse to come up closely beside him. his gauntlet covers the wound, but you can see dark blood covering his armor. you take a breath, trying to even out your voice.

“you are injured. i am here to… support you. you should have said something.”

you chance a look up at him, and the tilt of his shoulders strikes you immediately as sheepish. the man towers over you in his saddle, and you can imagine he looks like a scolded child under his helmet. you look back down to his wound before you continue with that train of thought.

“my apologies, lord avernus. i did not wish to worry you. i was simply going to return to the fountain, but-”

you cut him off with a shush, waving your hand for him to move his armored glove away. he does so with no hesitation, instead curling his hand around the reins of his mount. the gash is short but deep, probably from a well placed arrow. the knight probably pulled it out in the middle of the fight, and you curse internally for not noticing sooner.

without words, you let the mist coil around your hand, reaching out to press your palm gently against the puncture. he stiffens, but  does not make a sound as the smoke fills the wound and begins to knit the flesh together. it takes only a moment, but your treacherous hand stays against his side for a few beats too long.

“lord avernus?”

as if suddenly scalded, you jerk your hand away. the mist follows but you see that wound is fully healed, not even leaving a scar behind. you begin to ready your retreat, hoping to leave ahead of the knight to regain your thoughts. just as your hand begins to grip the reins, his finds yours and pulls it towards him. your eyes follow, finding that he’s removed his helmet again, and your chest tightens when he brings the back of your hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to it while his eyes seem to look through the mist in front of your face.

“thank you.”

he lets go of your hand, offering another lopsided smile before placing his helmet back on. he nudges armageddon forward and disappears into the tree line. ravenstrider snorts, wanting to follow but awaiting instruction. your hands clench tightly around the reins, trying to will the mist to calm with having no such luck. your heart is erratic in your chest, and your armor suddenly feels too hot. 

you curse out loud, and the shopkeeper behind you chuckles quietly. snarling in his direction, you push off into the trees, trying to put distance between yourself and the fluttering feeling in your stomach.

damn this knight.

-

day falls to darkness again, and the rest of your team has decided to group up and push the middle lane. you and chaos knight arrive first, standing behind the second tier tower. ravenstrider paws at the ground in anticipation but you force yourself to stare straight ahead and keep your mind on the upcoming fight. you can sense the knight moving in tight circles to your side, all while armageddon snorts excitedly. you hear a shot ring out from the bottom lane and figure that the rest of your team will be on the way shortly.

“lord avernus?”

the knight startles you, actually managing to make you jump in your saddle. his eyes are fixed ahead, so thankfully he doesn’t see your momentary embarrassment. you curse yourself internally again, now having lost count of how many times you’ve done so.

“i will stay on the front lines to draw their aggression while kardel-”

“abaddon.”

“what?”

you avoid his questioning look, his mount stopped in place at your word. his gaze makes you want to squirm, but you keep your back straight and your eyes forward.

“my name. abaddon.”

he makes a noise and once again moves armageddon close enough for the flanks of your mounts to touch. his leg, though armored, is pressed against yours, and you once again feel too hot under your breastplate.

“nessaj.”

you give a quick nod, and only dare to let yourself glance at him quickly out of the corner of your eye. he seems content, his shoulders back and his hands holding the reins, his axe laid carefully across his lap. the sound of a propellor tells that your team is nearby, so you try and adopt his posture as well, switching your focus back to the nearing battle.

“you do not have to address me as lord avernus again, kn- ...nessaj.”

“as you wish.”

-

the battle goes well. kardel deals with the drow quickly, then gives chase after the redheaded ranger through the woods, cackling jovially the whole way. raigor slams his totem with practiced ease, catching most of the remaining enemies in his stun. nessaj, as predicted, is in the thick of the fight, phantasmal duplicates swinging at the butcher and the two small and illusive fighters, chasing them into range of aurel. 

you keep to the edges of the fight, letting the mist coil around both your enemies and your teammates, occasionally taking swipes with your sword when there is an opportunity. one of the little men, who seems to have cat ears and a large shuriken strapped to his back, goes down. the purple one appears out of thin air, reaching for something on his belt before a cloud of purple smoke explodes at nessaj’s feet. armageddon stamps wildly, while the knight himself seems to be caught of guard. his illusions vanish and the enemy assassin blinks out of view only to appear at armageddon’s flank, daggers raised to kill.

it occurs you to that no one else has time to help nessaj. kardel has not returned from the woods, and aurel and raigor are busy with the butcher, who seems to currently have the keen caught in his flurry of blades. 

quickly, you let the mist flow from your body towards the knight, willing it as quickly as possible to form the aphotic shield. it coils tightly around nessaj’s armor, just as the purple assassin’s blades attempt to gouge into armageddon’s flank. nessaj whirls, his mind back in the fight as his axe neatly cuts deep into the goat man’s shoulder, finishing off what health he had left. seeming to not want to lose his momentum, he rips the air between himself and the butcher, finishing off the man and saving aurel in the nick of time.

raigor gives a quick sweep of the lane, then happily reports that the entire enemy team had been wiped. nessaj nods graciously at the cow man, then the same to aurel when he states he is going back to the fountain to heal and retrieve kardel. they would return with teleportation scrolls in a moment, so raigor turns to head back up lane to fetch the creeps.

as soon as he leaves, nessaj is pulling up to your side, one hand removing the helmet once again and letting it fall to the ground. you are about to voice your surprise, eyes scanning for injuries, when the knight once more takes your hand and pulled it towards his mouth, this time kissing your knuckles. his thumb smooths circles into your gauntlet, and soon both his hands are closed around yours. 

suddenly, everything becomes very loud inside your helmet, between screaming thoughts and blood rushing in your ears.

“thank you, abaddon, for saving me. i would have fallen if not for you. i owe you my life today. if there is anything you wish for, i will do everything in my power to provide it.”

everything you can think to say is stuck in your throat momentarily, and you watch as one of his hands lift towards your helmet. his palm rests against where your cheek would be. your armor feels restrictive, and all you can focus on are his eyes. you only notice now that they’re brown and, at this distance, flecked with gold.

“i…”

your words die on your tongue when raigor thumps back across the river, followed by the sound of aurel’s gyrocopter. nessaj hesitates, looking like he wants to do something else, but he pulls away, using his axe to pick his helmet up off the ground and jam it back onto his head when your companions rejoin you. the immediate switch makes your stomach feel hot, and for the first time you want to remove your own helmet.

the rest of your team starts to move up the lane and you hastily kick ravenstrider into line with them. somehow you manage to heal the few that need it with your mist while they quickly bring down the tower and barracks. the enemy team has respawned, though, and you all flee back to your side of the battlefield.

somewhere along the way it’s decided that you’ll all wait to defend the responding push, so you follow into the base and take a position at the top tower.

-

the night trails on, and a few teammates cycle out of the fountain to farm the nearby camps for extra money and items. you stay put, watching the dark treeline and trying to focus on whether or not the enemy team is coming. you really should put down a ward, but you don’t want to risk making a fool out of yourself in front of nessaj.

the thought has only just left your head when you hear hooves coming up to your side. a quick glance tells you his helmet and gauntlets have been shed and rest in his lap. his hands look calloused and warm. you look away.

he’s quiet for a moment, simply looking out towards the trees as well, but his hands give away that he’s nervous. they twist in the reins of his mount, and the thought of reaching out to take one like he’s done to you is bold in your mind.

“abaddon.”

you tilt your head upwards, heat already making itself apparent under your armor for what seems to be the hundredth time today. he’s looking at you, eyebrows slightly furrowed and his mouth at slant. you think that it doesn’t look quite right on him, this look of… doubt.

“may i… remove your helmet?”

the question makes the mist already spilling from your body quiver strangely. you  _ have _ a face, despite what you’ve heard past teammates whispering about when they thought you were out of range. the mist tended to pour from your skin in general, and your helmet trapped enough of it that it covered everything but the glow of your eyes.

with a beat passing between you, you nod.

he reaches over with both hands, and you notice they’re covered in calluses and small scars. one hand grips the bottom edge of your helmet while the other palms the back, gently easing it off. the mist flows freely now without its confines and clears away from your face. even though it’s night, you squint at the light given off by the moon. without the mist to protect your eyes, you find yourself blinking a few times to get used to it.

once you’ve adjusted, given a few quiet minutes, you steel yourself and look back towards nessaj. he’s still holding your helmet, but his gaze has turned from anxious to something like… wonder. without the protection of the mist, he can now see your cheeks heat.

your eyes drop to where ravenstrider’s reins are looped around your hands, every kind of winged insect fluttering in your stomach and trying to come up your throat. for a moment, you think of grabbing the helmet and replacing it, hiding away once again.

before that, though, nessaj’s hand comes up below your chin. it’s the first time his skin has touched yours, and you dimly think that you were right. his hands are warm. he tilts your face towards his, and the lopsided smile has returned once again. you like his smile.

you like nessaj.

“abaddon, i apologize if i’m overstepping but… may i kiss you?”

you swallow thickly.

“...as you wish.”

he laughs, a quiet chuckle, his hand moving from your chin to the back of your head, curling gently into your hair as he leans towards you. you lean to meet him halfway.

you’re beginning to understand that his whole body is warm as his lips connect with yours and you’re flooded with heat. he hums softly, thumb tracing the edge of your jaw, and your toes curl inside your boots. the mist curls around the both of you and you reach up to mirror him, placing a gloved hand on his cheek. you can feel him smile against your mouth; he pulls away after another moment, resting his forehead against yours.

every part of you feels as though you’re next to a bonfire as his fingers thread through your hair, his eyes closed and his face caught in an expression that you can only describe as content. he lets out another hum, pulling away only slightly to press another quick kiss against your mouth.

he leans away, hand slipping from the back of your head to take the one against his face, lacing your fingers together and simply letting them hang, connected, between the two of you. you feel yourself smile, small and still warm, enjoying the moment of quiet.

eventually he passes your helmet back over. before putting his own back on, nessaj catches your hand again. he brings it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to your knuckles, and from behind the mist you return his smile.

“are you ready to end this, lord avernus?”

you nod, taking ravenstrider’s reins in one hand and the hilt of your sword in the other.

“together.” 

“as you wish.”


End file.
